Theatrical appliance.



A. S. MOORMAN.

THEATRICAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION HLBD 0012.9, 1909. Bnmwnn ooT. 27, 1911.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

i lallllqlllgtlla! gf me/Mon Mm @W/ @nieuwe UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT S. MOORMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

THEATRICAL APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Application led October 9, 1909, Serial No. 521,874. Renewed October 27,1911. Serial No. 657,184.

To all fui/'tom t may concern:

`Be it known that I, ALBERT S. MOORMAN, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Theatrical Appliances, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being-.had to the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to improvements in theatrical appliances and moreparticularly to a trick automobile for use on the stage, and made ofseparable parts or sections whichwhen assembled will be an exactrepresentation of an automobile or motor vehicle, but which undercertain conditions will become disengaged and fall apart to give themachine the appearance of a Wreck, the main portion of the machine beingadapted to rotate or spin when the parts separate.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and practicalappliance of this character which will be effective in accomplishing itsintended purpose.

Vit-h the above and other objects in View the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawingsin which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved trick automobile.Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view with parts in section, and Fig. 3 is adetail vertical longitudinal section.

lVhile the machine or vehicle may be made of any number of separableparts or sections, and such parts may have any desired form andconstruction, the embodiment of the invention illustrated consists of amain section 1 forming the front portion of the body of the machine, arear section 2 consisting of the rear portion of the body and the rearwheels, and a front section 3 consisting of the axle and front wheels.These parts are detachably connected by any suitable means which willpermit them to separate when released by trip devices, and whenassembled as shown in the drawings the front and rear sections 3 and 2support the main section 1, Which latter drops to the floor when theparts or sections separate. Said section 1 which contains the seat 4tfor the driver is so constructed and mounted that When itdrops upon thefloor of the stage it will be rotated or spun. This is accomplished,preferably, by providing a base or false bottom 5, from which rises avertical pivot (3 for the section 1. An annular row of antltrictionbearing balls 7,

or any other antifriction bearing, is preferably provided between theparts 1, 5 so that the former may rotate freely on the pivot 6. Saidsection 1 may be rotated by any desired means, but I preferably employthe one illustrated which consists of a spool or drum S fixed to thebottom of the section 1 concentric with the pivot (i and about which iswound a cord or similar flexible element 9 adapted to have its free endpulled by an operator in one of the side wings of the stage. To causethe section 1 to spin or rotate first in one direction and then in theopposite direction, the cord 9 has its inner end attached to a pin orpeg 10 and wound first in one direction several times around the spool,then looped around said pin and wound in the opposite direction severaltimes. Such reverse winding of the cord may be repeated as many times asdesired.

The rear section 2 of the machine which preferably contains a seat forone or more persons is adapted to be drawn rearwardly ott' of the stageand into the side Wing by means of a cord or cable 11. If desired athird supporting wheel 12 may be provided on the front portion of thebottom of the section 2 for supporting the latter after it has beendetached from the main section 1. The sections 1, 2 are preferably ,heldin engagement by pin and `socket connections indicated at 13 inv Fig. 2,and by a latch or catch device lelshown more clearly in Fig. 3. Asillustrated the catch 14 is in the form of a bell crank pivoted on thesection 1 and adapted to have its angular end engage a keeper opening orseat 15 on the section 2. A link 16 connects the other arm of the catch14 to an angular trip lever 17 provided on the bottom of the section 1and adapted to be actuated by the foot of the drivel'.

The front section 3, which consists of the front axle and the frontground or traveling wheels, is preferably detachably connected to thesection 1 by having the front axle seated in recesses formed in bearingblocks 1S secured to the lower side of the section l, said axle beingdetachably held in place by means of leaf springs 19 which are attachedto the lower side of the section 1, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, thefree ends of the springs extending across and underneath the axle incontact therewith. Projecting rearwardly and upwardly from the frontaxle, is an arm 2O having an angular apertured end which extendsupwardly through an opening formed in the bottom of the section l, aslidable catch 21 being adapted to extend through the aperture of saidarm, wherebythe axle will be prevented from being detached from thesection 1 so long as the catch 2l is in locking engagement with the arm20. The catch 2l is adapted to be retracted by a cam-shaped arm on anangular trip lever 2Q, also arranged within convenient reach of thei'oot of the driver of the automobile. A cord or the like 23 is attachedto a depending eye 24 on the middle of the front axle and may be usedboth for pulling the automobile across the stage when the parts areassembled, and for pulling the axle 3 oit of the stage after the partsor sections have become detached.

In operation, the automobile is drawn on to the stage, preferably bymeans of the cable 23, and when the driver reaches the center of thestage he actuates the trips 17, 2Q to release the rear and frontsections 2, 3 from the main section 1 of the machine. Such front andrear sections are then drawn in opposite `direction oill of the stage bythe cords attached to them, and the main sect-ion 1, on its false bottomor base 5 dropping to the floor of the stage, is rotated by an operatordrawing upon the cord 9.

l/Vhile l have shown and described in -detail the preferred embodimentof my invent-ion I wish it understood that changes in the form,proportion and arrangement of parts, and in the details of constructionmay be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus 'described the invention what I claim is:

1. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, other sectionsdetachably connected to the main section, catches for holdg ing theseveral sections in temporary connection, and means for rotating themain section when the other sections are disconnected from it.

2. A theatrical appliance comprising a plurality of sectie-ns detachablyconnected together so as to represent an automobile, means for holdingsaid sections in temporary connection, and means for rotating one ofsaid sections when the other sections are disconnected from it.

3. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, detachablesupporting sections, means for holding` the several sections intemporary connection so that they represent an automobile whenassembled,

and means for separating the supporting sections from the main sectionwhen released by said holding means.

t. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, detachablesupporting sections, means for holding the several sections in temporaryconnection so that they represent an automobile when assembled, andmeans for rotating the main section when disconnected from saidsupporting sections.

5. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, detachablesupporting sections, means for holding the several sections in temporaryconnection so that they represent an automobile when assembled, meansfor separating the supporting sections from the main section whenreleased by said holding means, and means for rotating the main sectionwhen disconnected from said suppo-rting sections.

6. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, detachablesupporting sections, means for holding the several sections in temporaryconnection so that they represent an automobile when assembled, a falsebottom or base carried by the main section and adapted to support thesame for rota tion when the supporting sections have been disconnectedfrom it, and means for rotating said main section when the latterissupported upon its base.

7. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section, detachablesupporting sections, means for holding the several sections in temporaryconnection so that they repre sent an automobile when assembled, a supporting base carried by the main section and on which the latter isrotatable when the supporting sections have been disconnected from it, aspool carried by said main section and a cord wound upon said spool.

8. A theatrical appliance comprising a main section wheeled front andrear sections or supporting the main section. catches detachablyconnecting the front and rear supporting sections to the main section,cords connected to said front and rear supporting sections, a basecarried by the main section and adapted to support the same tor rotationwhen the front and rear sections have been disconnected from it, andmeans for rotating the main section when supported upon its base.

1n testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ALBERT S; MOORMAN.

1Witnesses CARL YALTo, R. A. VILLIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C.

